Christian Vegetarian Association Presents:

Take
Heart!

Reflection
(RSV)

Jeffrey Cohan, executive director of Jewish Vegetarians of North
America, challenges people to reflect on their relationship with
animals. He refers to the outpouring of love he witnessed after when
more than a thousand people attended the funeral for a police dog
who was killed in the line of duty in Pittsburgh, and highlights the
fact that most likely more than 90% of the mourners ate animal flesh
that day. Cohan asks readers to reflect on this double moral
standard and reminds the reader how much suffering is in the raising
of animals for food.

Cognitive dissonance can be observed clearly in the above case,
where people love some animals but eat others. However, compassion
has no limits and we should try to be more consistent with our
ethics, values and beliefs, and apply them to all of God’s
creatures.